Company Adapts Space Technology to Detect Methane Leaks from Landfills

Date: August 6, 2009

Source: News Room

An Edmonton, Alberta company hopes to apply adapted space technology to detecting methane leaks from landfills. Behind the effort is a company called Synodon and its chief scientific officer Boyd Tolton who developed an infrared imaging technology while at the Canadian Space Agency. It uses infrared and a 30-centimetre custom-made lens to capture the solar reflected radiation of methane and ethane. Mounting the device on an aircraft would cover a lot of ground in short order. According CEO Adrian Branica, the device could see nearly "100% of leaks from 1,000 feet at 100 kilometres an hour. And it's much more cost effective than people on the ground covering two-metre swaths with hand detectors. It sees the gas like a camera so wind is not a factor."

To learn more, visit: www.synodon.com.

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